FORGIVE OUR FOOLISH WAYS.

It was one of those sunny, fresh spring days when travelling in the country is a delight, a respite from daily activity.

We were well on our way to Gawler, a historical South Australian town, 40 kms from Adelaide, when I clapped my hand to my mouth and groaned, ‘Oh, no.’

‘Oh, no, what?’ said my husband, enjoying the drive along the highway, bordered by giant, gum trees, and homes with spring flowers.

‘I’ve forgotten the address.’ We were to visit friends from interstate, staying with a sister in Gawler. They rang to tell me their address, which I recorded. Usually I remember a street name, but I was also keeping a watchful eye on grandchildren, and maybe my mind wandered a little. Now we had travelled to this town of 25,000 , and all I could remember was that our friend’s sister was Betty, her street came off the Lyndoch road, and you turn right, then left, then right.

How careless of me!

‘We’ll pray and ask God to help us,’ said my ever-trusting husband, and inwardly I thought, ’How can we find them among 25,000 people?’

Does God help us when we make foolish mistakes?

We drove on to Gawler as far as the Lyndoch road. We tried several streets, turning right, left, right till we exhausted the possible right, left, right turns. During this time I quoted favourite lines of my mother:

Dear Lord and Father of mankind

Forgive our foolish ways………

Rather applicable at this moment.

‘We’ll try one more street,’ said the driver, as we turned into a side street marked, ‘No through road.’ Not very promising, yet we drove in, turning around beside the Community Health Centre.

‘That’s not much help,’ I said, ‘Except that someone may happen to know Betty. I knew her husband had been a member of a service club.

Our trusting driver walked into the Health Centre, and five minutes later came out smiling with the sister at his side. She came over to the car.

‘Betty is my best friend,’ she said, ‘and I have just rung her, and your friends are on their way here to guide you.’ Sure enough, in about three minutes, they drove in and guided us to the right street, turning right, left, right; and there we met Betty. We all laughed together, but it was also a time to share with the Community sister, to Betty, sadly an atheist, to the lovely Indian teenager with us, and encouragement to our friends and ourselves that God is our Helper, even in our foolish ways.

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But you would hardly expect a goat to be part of God’s perfect plan.

A young friend told me of a visit to a Wild Life Park with the family of her friend.

The husbands offered to mind the children whilst the mums went off for a walk together. Joel kindly bought the children an icecream, tendering a fifty dollar note, receiving change with two twenty dollar notes, which he placed in his hip pocket.

Meanwhile Jane and Pam sauntered around the park, enjoying sharing family news, delighting in the warm, sunny day. As they walked along Jane pointed to a group of goats.

‘Look, she said with surprise. What is that goat eating?’ The girl walked closer, seeing a goat chewing at some pink paper.

‘I reckon that’s money,’ said Pam, as they laughed together.

‘You’re right,’ said Jane, as they walked closer to the goat. ’Let’s see if we can rescue it.’ In the meantime, the goat chewed lazily at the edge of the paper. Warily Jane approached the goat and tried to pull the paper note. Meanwhile a crowd gathered as Jane struggled with the goat. Did this $20 note belong to someone in the crowd?

Jane pulled and tugged, laughingly encouraged by Pam and the crowd, although the goat obstinately held to the $20 note. Finally, with gentle persuasion and coaxing from both girls, the goat let go and Jane triumphantly held the $20 note in her hand. While the nibbled edge was worn to shreds as she unfolded it, when to her surprise she found another $20 note . $40 from a goat.

‘We’d better get back to our husbands and see what we should do with the money,’ said Pam as they returned to report their find. With laughs and chuckles, the girls recounted the story, and Jane held out the nibbled notes. Simultaneously, Joel felt in his hip pocket, now realising that the 2- $20 notes of change from the icecreams were missing. Then he remembered.

‘I pulled out my handkerchief when I sneezed,’ he explained, ‘and the money must have fallen out then.’ Agreeable laughter, mixed with gratitude as Joel and Jane, Phil and Pam and their children realised how God had used a goat to restore the lost money.

Out God is still the God of the impossible, and always will be, despite our foolish ways.